A storage management solution frequently moves a data object between a slower storage device (e.g., offline/nearline device) and a more expensive and/or more constrained, faster storage device (e.g., online/direct access device). Use of the slower storage device enables a system to store a larger amount of data objects at a reduced cost. As a process executes, it will request data object(s) from the storage management solution when the data object is required. In the current storage management solutions, the storage management solution will move the data object from a slower storage device to a faster storage device in response to the request. While the data object is being moved, the execution of the process is halted since data object movement between storage devices is much slower than other execution activities. For some processes, such as a critical process, the time delay between when the data object is requested and when it is available for use presents an undesirable constraint.
In order to address this problem, some storage management solutions include customized functionality to retrieve a specific data object from a slower storage device and store it in a faster storage device before it is required by an executing process. For example, a particular process can be analyzed by an administrator, who can specify one or more required data objects, which are moved prior to the process executing. However, due to its customization and the constant manual intervention required to make the functionality work, this functionality is cumbersome to implement and difficult to keep current. In view of the foregoing, there exists a need in the art to overcome one or more of the deficiencies indicated herein.